11-22-1999 Council Work Session - Laserfiche WebLink

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RURAL SEWAGE TREATMENT POLICY PLAN INDIVIDUALON-S ITE FACILITIES Individual privately owned and operated on-site facilities provide safe and adequate sewage treatment for properties located in Orono's rural service area. Orono's Rural Service Area (comprised of the 2-acre and 5-acre residential zones) is identified oirMap Ne. 6 in Figure The rural area includes two-islands in Lake Minnetonka p lus th e west, central and northern p ortions of th c-Gity adjacent to Independence and Med in a. Within the rural area, nearly all water supplies are provided by individual wells and aH most sewage treatment is provided by individual on-stte sewage treatment systems ("ISTS"). A number of specific neighborhoods within the Rural Service Area have been provided with municipal sewers to solve neighborhood problems or to protect the lakes, but no other urban services are planned for these areas. Rural land use is characterized by low density residential and quasiagricultural properties interspersed with fields, woods and marshland. Neighborhood character varies from lonely farmsteads to a few "crossroads" housi ng clusters dating from the early 1900 ’s ranees from scattered farmsteads, to a small number of residential clusters dating back as much as a century, to the characteristic rural subdivision developed in the last 25 years. Summer cabins generally on small lots populate Big Island, while mainland homes are scattered typically on parcels of two to five acres or more. Non-residential properties are very limited in number. The topography of rural Orono is rolling and pockmarked with glacial potholes and wetlands. The soil types are generally heavy yellow clays providing slow percolation but superior filtration and waste water treatment. The combination of soil, topography^ and historic development patterns and the City's commitment to protection of Lake Minnetonka have limited the rural density while at the same time have provided reliable on-site sewer and water performance. With sufficient dry buildable land surrounding each dwelling, each property owner has the means of providing for his own utilities in an economical, environmentally acceptable manner which will give maximum protection for Lake Minnetonka and its watershed. .1 I I The City of Orono maintains a complete inventory of existing on-site sewage treatment systems. Each rural property relying upon on-site sewage treatment has been individually identified and inventoried as part ofthe City's On-Site Management Program. The City records for each system include Installation permits and periodic inspection reports plus an a computerized Inventory card detailing the occupancy type, construction date and installer, system type, septic tank details, drainfield details, well data, location sketch, pumping data and city inspection record. Eaeh en-si te syste m has been located on plat map half-sectio ns which arc in cluded in (he Appen d ix Sectio n of the CSPP. The inventoiy of system users is summarized in the following table: CMP 6-24